The longest-serving Health Secretary in British history has admitted social care cuts went too far on his own watch.
Jeremy Hunt - who headed the department for six years - made the jaw-dropping admission about the social care crisis as he made a pitch to be Prime Minister.
He told a BBC debate last night: "I think having been responsible for health and social care that some of the cuts in social care did go too far.”
And today, quizzed on his admission, he went even further.
He gave a devastating verdict on the years of Tory austerity cuts driven through by ex-Prime Minister David Cameron and ex-Chancellor George Osborne.
Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm very happy to accept, as I do, having been responsible for the health and social care system, that we didn't put enough money into social care.
"What a Prime Minister has to do is make those judgements as to what is necessary to deal with the economic crisis we faced in 2010 - the worst financial recession since the Second World War.
"And on the whole I think that George Osborne and David Cameron got those judgements right.
"But as the Health Secretary who is looking at hospital beds full of people who should've been discharged, but there were no places in the social care system for them to go to.
"I saw that winter after winter.
"And I do think the cuts to social care went too far - and I've got a solution to that.
"I want people to know that as Prime Minister I'm aware not just that you have to make these difficult choices, but also I accept that that sometimes when you get them wrong you need to learn."
Mr Hunt's job title was originally Health Secretary and it widened to Health and Social Care Secretary in 2018.
Social care funding is largely overseen by councils which have seen devastating cuts under the Tories.
Despite announcements of extra funds, and a £20bn boost to the NHS under the Theresa May , the Local Government Association warned in February of an £8billion funding black hole by 2025.
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